Air flue in refrigerating apparatus



I i "r. c. GLEASON AIR FLUEIN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Sept. 9, 1952 Filed June 30, 1950 Patented Sept. 9, 1952 AIR FLUE INREFRIGERATING APPARATUS V Thomas C. Gleason, Detroit, Mich., assignor to I Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1950, Serial No. 171,451

v 2 Claims.

1 This invention relates to means for augmenting a draft of air over a static condenser.

In refrigeration systems of the type employing a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator it outlet opening 43. The condenser 22 is mounted within the duct 34 as illustrated in Fig. 2 so that air entering opening 36 and travelling through duct 34 and stack 38 and discharged through is common practice to use a blower or fan to opening 40 tends to dissipate heat from the concreate a draft of air over the condenser to cool denser 22. The natural stack effect of the stack the refrigerant therein. However, in many in- 38 tends to produce a limited circulation of air stallations the problem of servicing the fan or through the duct 34 and stack 38, but as exblower is objectionable and the cost of such a plained above this circulation of air is generally blower or fan is an item which it is desirable to 10 inadequate. eliminate. When the blower or fan is eliminated Inorder to augment the circulation of air and the natural flow of air through a stack is through the duct 34 and stack 38 I mount an utilized to cool a condenser, usually referred to electric resistance heater 42 which is preferably as a static condenser, the coil area of the conin the shape of an elongated strip extending denser must be increased to make up for the poor transversely of the stack 38 downstream of the air how and a larger condenser is both expensive condenser 22 so that when electric current is and space consuming. passed through the heater 42 the air in stack 38 It is a principal object of this invention to prois heated so that it rises and increases the flow vide means to augment the flow of air over a of airover the condenser 22. The heater 42 is static condenser by the use of a simple heating positioned so that its thinnest dimension is predevice which increases the stack effect and theresented to the airstream so that it will offer a by makes possible the use of a condenser coil of minimum obstruction to the flow of air in smaller size than that which would normally be stack 38. required where a natural draft Of air is relied If desired the resistance heater 42 may be upon for condenser cooling. wired so that it is energized electrically when- In the drawings: ever the compressor motor I8 is energized. A Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly broken away diagrammatic wiring arrangement is illustrated of the back portion of an ice cream cabinet emin Fig. 1 which shows a conductor 50 connected bo y y e o a d to a source of electric energy and a control de- Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of vice such as a thermostatic switch 52 adapted to Fig. 1. close when the temperature within compartment In the drawings an ice cream cabinet ofthe l2 exceeds a predetermined value. A conductor type commonly used in drug stores, soda foun- 54 may be connected to the switch 52 and to an tains and grocery stores and which has a heighth inlet terminal of the motor 18 and an inlet terwhich is substantially waist high has been desminal of the heater 42. The outlet terminals of ignated by the numeral 10. The cabinet iii inthe motor l8 and heater 42 are connected by cludes a compartment (2 in which material to be conductors 58 and 60, respectively, to a conductor cooled such as ice cream may be kept and which 56 which is connected to the source of electric has an evaporator coil l4 mounted therein. The energy. This control is illustrated as one applievaporator coil [4 has its outlet end connected cation of the invention to show that it would not by a pipe l5 to a compressor l6 preferably driven be necessary for the heater to be energized conby an electric motor [8 and the compressor disstantly. charges compressed refrigerant through a tube 1 claim: 20 to a condenser 22. The condenser 22 disr 1. A refrigerated cabinet for foodstuffs having charges cooled comp esse r e t t0 a a heighth which is substantially waist high, said cciver 24 which s Connected by tube 25 to a cabinet having a compartment for the reception ventional expansion valve 28 which in turn is of foodstuffs to be cooled and a mechanical reconnected by tube 30 to the inlet of the evapofrigeration system of the compressor-condenser rator [4 thus completing a refrigerant circuit. V and evaporator type operable to 0001 said com- The cabinet I0 is preferably constructed so partment, said cabinet including means defining that a partition means 3 defines a duct 34 Which a vertically extending stack operable to establish extends a g a po of the bottom of the a passage for air and means defining an air inlet cabinet [0 and has an air inlet op 5- The to the lower portion of said stack and an air duct 34 adjacent the rear of the cabinet [6 exoutlet adjacent the top of said stack, an air tends upwardly to form a stack 38 having an air cooled condenser which forms an operating comresistance heater positioned in said stack downstream of said condenser to improve the draft in said stack.

2. A refrigerated cabinet for foodstufis having a heighth which is substantially waist high, said cabinet having a compartment for the reception of foodstufis to be cooled and a mechanical refrigeration system including an evaporator for cooling said compartment, a compressor driven i by an electric motor and a condenser coil of the.

air cooled type for dissipating heat, said cabinet including means defining a vertically extending" stack operable to establish a passage for air and means defining an air inlet to the lower portion of said stack and an air outlet adjacent the top of said stack, said condenser coil being mounted in the lower portion of said stack, an electric refile of this patent:

4 sistance heater positioned in said stack downstream of said condenser to improve the draft in said stack and control means to energize said heater and said electric motor simultaneously.

THOMAS C. GLEASON.

REFERENCES CITED :The following references are of record in the UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,144,576 Payne Jan. 17, 1939 2,161,420 Kucher June 6, 1939 2,177,072- Kuenzli Oct. 24, 1939 2,202,019 Mohr May 28, 1940 2,396,777 Edwards Mar. 19, 1946 Ayers July 27, 1948 

